ESPN scheduled to air over 1,000 games on its multiple platforms

ESPN to air over 1,000 games on its platforms

BRISTOL, Conn. — ESPN will broadcast more than 1,000 college basketball games over its multiple platforms this season.

Among the highlights on the network’s schedule released Tuesday were the second annual tipoff marathon that features 24 consecutive hours of games, new agreements with the Southeastern and Western Athletic conferences, and the usual standards of Big Monday, Super Tuesday, Rivalry Week, BracketBusters and Championship Week.

The first telecasts will be opening-round games of the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer on ESPNU on Nov. 9: Florida International at North Carolina; Albany at Syracuse; and Murray State at California.

The College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon starts on ESPN on Nov. 16 with Cal State Fullerton at UCLA and will have games scheduled to tip off every two hours, including live 6 a.m. (Monmouth at Saint Peter’s) and 8 a.m. (Drexel at Niagara) telecasts for the first time.

This will be the first year of a 15-year agreement with the SEC featuring every conference home game, except those in a broadcast network package, on an ESPN entity. The schedule includes the return of the SEC to Super Tuesday and the addition of consistent slots for the conference on Thursday and Saturday.

The first year of the new agreement with the WAC provides games across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, including a consistent schedule of Wednesday night telecasts on ESPN2.

For the ninth straight year ESPN will show the NCAA tournament’s opening-round game from Dayton, Ohio.

The approximately 1,100 games will be presented on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ABC, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Regional Television and ESPN Full Court.